millet

(no bake) peanut butter + cacao nib cereal bars (gf + v) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i'm pretty sure i've spoken about my affinity for peanut butter, but when i looked in my blog archive and found only a single recipe highlighting one of my favorite things to enjoy, i knew i needed to fix that!  my fondness for peanut butter is somewhat well-known to those who are around me often, i've even received a jar of peanut butter and a copy of E.T. as a birthday present one year because my friend knew how much i loved those 2 together. and when i'm hungry for a quick snack i'll grab a spoonful of peanut butter.  then there are the days  when i'm super lazy and needing that nut buttery fix and an apple and peanut butter is my lunch, or even my dinner.  so when i saw these cereal bars on pinterest a few weeks ago, i had the biggest Oprah, aha (!!!) moment.  i could combine my fave cereal and my fave nut butter to make the bars of my dreams!

these bars are the simplest and most rewarding snacks that come together and can be enjoyed in about 30 minutes (freezing the bars makes the set faster, which i'm a huge fan of!).  there's no baking, or setting, and they're kind of on the healthy side.  i used puffed varieties of brown rice and millet, which happen to be gluten free whole grains, plus, they have a super crunchy texture which gives them a rice crispy treat quality.   there's also cacao nibs for crunch and some chocolate undertones, and chopped peanuts because that peanut flavor is so necessary ;)  they're easy to store, portable, and somewhat filling - all wins in my book!  i hope you enjoy them as much as i do :)

xo!

peanut butter + cacao nib cereal bars | v + gf

as i said above, i love peanut butter and really wanted a peanut buttery snack.  but feel free to incorporate your preferred choice of nut butter and nuts here.  you could also use another crunchy cereal of choice, or replace the brown rice syrup with honey. and if you're wanting more chocolatey flavor replace the cacao nibs with chocolate chips, or melt chocolate and drizzle on top of the bars.

| makes 16 square bars |

  • coconut oil, for the pan
  • 1 1/2 cups puffed brown rice
  • 1 1/2 cups puffed millet
  • 3/4 cup unsalted roughly chopped roasted peanuts 
  • 1/2 cup cacao nibs
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
  • 1/2 cup unsalted peanut butter

method

  1. lightly grease an 8x8-inch square pan with coconut oil.  line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. in a large bowl, mix together the brown rice puffs, millet puffs, chopped peanuts, cacao nibs, and salt.
  3. in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, use a rubber spatula to combine the brown rice syrup and peanut butter.  heat and stir the mixture until it's fluid and smooth, about 5 minutes.  pour the syrup and peanut butter mixture over the puffed cereal mix and use the spatula to combine.  mix for a few minutes, until each piece of the mixture is evenly coated. 
  4. transfer the mixture to your prepared pan and use the back of the spatula (or, if the mixture isn't too hot, use your fingers) to press the bards firmly and evenly into the pan.
  5. let the bars sit at room temperature for 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes until firm.  slice the bars into 16 squares with a sharp knife.  bars can be kept in an air tight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.

similar recipes:

cacao nib + coconut macaroons

cacao nib + coconut macaroons

dark chocolate salted nut bars

dark chocolate salted nut bars

ginger + lemon zest granola w/ puffed quinoa

ginger + lemon zest granola w/ puffed quinoa

this season's first soup: spring garlic + radish top soup (v + gf) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the first soup i ever made was a butternut squash number with apples, onions, and heavy cream (!) (waaay before i stopped eating dairy).  when my co-worker made it and brought in for us to have, it was super creamy and velvety - i basically told her that i wanted her to come home with me and make this for dinner every night.  she politely declined and gave me the recipe instead.  i had decided to make this soup for frank when we were first dating, i thought i would impress the hell outta him with this super-duper restaurant-worthy soup.   back then, i lived by myself in a studio apartment, my kitchen although small, was quite functional with everything i thought i needed.  i prepared the ingredients according to the directions, followed step-by-step, and finally, the soup was ready to be pureed.  however, as i surveyed my kitchen it came to my attention that i didn't own a blender, nor did i own a food processor (and i didn't even know what an immersion blender was at that time).  a few rather loud screams and some toddler-esque feet-stomping occurred at that moment, but i sucked it up and continued on with what i did have, a mini food processor - one that held about 1 cup of liquid at a time. as i stood there in my almost counter-less kitchen running batch after batch of butternut squash mixture through the tiniest of machines, i began realizing that the consistency was a bit thick, as my mini processor didn't accomplish a polished puree.  i ended up serving the mushy, baby food soup to frank anyway.  i can still remember his face as he ate the "soup", it basically looked like, 'wtf am i eating' but with a smile.  while it was  tasty, it wasn't one of my finest culinary moments.

since that time, i'm sure you'll be happy to know that i've acquired appropriate kitchen instruments, ones that can handle things like soup!  and because of my awesome in-laws, i've graduated to a 12-cup food processor!  all joking aside, i really love soup.  especially during these weeks where it feels like we're between seasons -70-degree temps one day, in the 40's the next.  and these days, after emerging from the cave of winter, market greens are all i want to eat and cook with.  my mom had given me the cutest bundle of radishes back in march that she bought from the Stone Barns greenhouse.  with them, i made a 2-serving radish top soup and absolutely loved the bitter/peppery taste it had.  i've been waiting (totally impatiently!) these past few weeks for radishes to show up at the market, and this past weekend they did!  i also picked up a bunch of spring garlic thinking their subtle flavor would pair really nicely with the greens.  i toasted up some cumin seeds, crushed them, and added it to the mix to break up all the earthiness going on here as well.  so, stop throwing away the greens on top of your veggies and go make this soup!

i want to thank any of you who voted for me for Saveur's Best Food Blog Awards, being nominated was so beyond anything i could have ever dreamed of, especially when i was in the company of SO many women i look up to and am inspired by each day!  so, the biggest of congratulations to the lovely winners: Jeanine from Love & Lemons, Stephanie from i am a food blog, Sarah from The Vanilla Bean Blog, Izzy from Top With Cinnamon, Beth from Local Milk, Emma from My Darling Lemon Thyme, Ashlae from Oh, Ladycakes, Sarah from My New Roots, Laura from The First Mess and Valentina from Hortus Cuisine! you ladies rock! xo

this season's first soup: spring garlic + radish top soup (v + gf)

inspired by Deborah Madison, Vegetable Literacy

| serves 4 |

if you can't find/don't want to use radish greens, a good replacement could be dandelion greens, mustard greens or arugula - or a mixture of these that totals the amount i indicate below.  additionally, if you can't find spring garlic, regular garlic will totally work, just reduce the amount to 2 small cloves worth.  i added millet here just for more substance and weight - feel free to add quinoa, rice or any other grain you like.  

ingredients

  • 2 bunches radish top greens (approx. 2.5 ounces), washed and stems trimmed
  • 1 bunch spring garlic, white parts chopped in half-inch pieces (alternatively, 2 small cloves garlic, roughly chopped), reserve green parts for garnish
  • 1 medium waxy potato, scrubbed and cut into quarters, about 1/4-inch thick
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and crushed 
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • fine grain sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups filtered water or vegetable stock

garnish

  • cooked millet
  • fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • radish sprouts
  • sliced garlic greens
  • radishes, sliced thin

instructions

  • heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.  add the onion slices and lay them flat; sprinkle garlic evenly over onion, then lay potato slices over them.  cook for about 3 minutes without disturbing while the pan heats up.  add the crushed cumin and give it all a good stir. cover, and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring the vegetables every so often (the bottom of the pan should start acquiring a brown glaze - this is good!). in the last few minutes, add the wine and let about half of it cook off.  next, add water (or stock) and 1 1/2-2 teaspoons salt, bring to a boil - scraping the bottom to loosen the glaze.  lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender and falling apart - 15-20 minutes
  • add radish tops to the pot  and cook for about 5 minutes - until wilted and dark green.  let soup cool.  then transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and puree
  • divide the soup evenly, and garnish with cooked millet, radish sprouts, garlic greens, sliced radishes and a squeeze of lemon juice

enjoy!

cardamom-toasted millet breakfast bowl w/ summer blackberry compote /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

we're talking breakfast again today, folks.  morning's are hectic, sometimes a little crazy. as such, my weekday breakfast repertoire (instant oatmeal w/ almond butter, honey, cinnamon + chia seeds) is kind of lacking in the department of originality.  there have been sooooo many mouth-watering morning meals out there that i thought it was time to up my breakfast game.  

first, there was sini's whipped lingonberry porridge, then kate's toasted oatmeal w/ strawberry chia seeds jam + whipped coconut cream + to top all that! grace's spiced millet porridge w/ dates and almonds!  to up the instant oatmeal game one must not use oats, and as much as i love quinoa, i'm not so much a sweet quinoa kinda girl.  rather, i lean towards the more savory quinoa breakfast, perhaps with sauteed greens and some runny eggs or something.  never having had millet for a morning meal, i took to pairing it with some spices and something a little sweet!  loving all the berry and nut action in these posts, i remembered there were summer blackberries somewhere in the depths of my freezer that i had ordered from good eggs awhile back.  i hadn't really missed summer berries yet, but when i opened that ziploc bag and peered in to see all their purple-y goodness, the warmth and smell of the coming season's bounty consumed me!  and now i'm ruined and all i want is to kick winter's butt right out and welcome spring with lots of xoxoxoxos!  

cardamom-toasted millet breakfast bowl w/ summer blackberry compote (gluten free + vegan)

| 4 sizable servings |

freshly ground cardamom is super amazing, especially here; it pairs so perfectly with the blackberry compote and millet! if using store-bought ground cardamom use the amount noted below - but taste as you go and add more if necessary. 

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup millet
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or 1/2 milk + 1/2 water)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom, roughly 8 pods
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup blackberry compote
  • plain coconut yogurt to serve + bee pollen + chia seeds to taste (optional)

summer blackberry compote

  • 1 cup frozen (or fresh) organic blackberries
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (or raw agave nectar)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
  • splash of fresh lemon juice to taste

instructions

  • in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, add the coconut oil; to the oil add the millet, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and salt - stir to coat.  toast the millet and spices for 5-6 minutes stirring frequently until fragrant - you will hear the millet pop a bit.  add the almond milk, turn the heat up and bring to a boil; give a stir, cover and turn the heat to low.  cook the millet for 18-20 minutes.  remove from heat 
  • while the millet is cooking, make the blackberry compote.  in another small saucepan on medium heat, combine the berries, maple syrup, arrowroot and water, bring to a boil stirring frequently.  add the vanilla and lemon juice (adjust lemon juice to your liking), keep stirring until the berries are soft and the compote has thickened a bit.  remove from heat and set aside

serve the bowl

  • using a fork, fluff the millet; split between 2 bowls, serve with a healthy dollop of coconut yogurt, a large drizzle of compote and bee pollen + chia seeds
  • store leftover millet and compote separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.  simply heat each back up for breakfast or a snack!

enjoy!